Dear Readers,

As I reflect upon the past few months, I find myself at a loss for words. We’ve witnessed attacks on human rights and erosion of hard-won protections for non-white, undocumented, and gender diverse individuals. It’s been hard to maintain hope. In this issue of the Berkeley Science Review, our authors grapple with crises like social injustice in academia, governmental cuts to research funding, and sys- temic inequities in outcomes of climate disasters. Through it all, we see slivers of hope from talented researchers using their passion to drive change. I hope stories like these can help keep hope alive as we all do what we can to keep fighting for a better world. In “Investigation without exploitation,” Elizabeth Lineberry shares three vignettes of UC Berkeley researchers pushing to incorporate indigenous communities and knowledge systems into academic study. Nathan Soland highlights Associate Professor Markita del Carpio Landry, who is applying her background in physical chemistry with indigenous Bolivian knowledge to identify plant-derived compounds to treat neurodegenerative disease. In “Step aside, plastic,” Sydney Hemenway introduces us to seaweed as a new packaging material championed by UC Berkeley graduate Armina Mayya. Eleanor Wang shares a review of “The Equitably Resilient City,” a recent book coauthored by UC Berkeley Professor Dr. Zachary B. Lamb that tackles climate justice with community-oriented solutions. Addressing academic funding and public trust in science, Sam Oaks-Leaf offers perspectives from talented science storytellers on how to use narrative to really reach an audience. Sophia Tomatz and Ilina Bhaya-Grossman share their experience as fellows of the Kavli Center for Ethics, Science, and the Public, where they are working to understand the best ways to communicate science to the public. In “The Redwood Center gets its twentieth ring,” Galen Chuang and Deepthi Bannai tell us about a consortium of theoretical and experimental neuroscientists at UC Berkeley who are approaching fundamental questions about the brain, which are more relevant than ever in the era of artificial intelligence. Along the way, Nandini PS chronicles a celestial scavenger hunt in “A shot in the dark,” while Adedeji Aderounmu follows discoveries on Earth in “Ancient history, modern evidence” and Maddie Webb dissects new research into the brain’s response to food. The production of this magazine has been made possible by an outstanding team of editors and designers. Eleanor Wang, our incredible Art Director, managed the design team and executed magazine layout to bring each article to life. Eleanor is also responsible for the stunning artwork you see on the cover. Sam Oaks-Leaf, our Web Director and new Managing Editor, works tirelessly behind the scenes to keep our organization running smoothly. Blog Editor in Chief Jeremy Marcus is breathing life into our online platform, where the conversation continues beyond research happening on campus. Finally, I’d like to thank our donors and subscribers for their continued support, especially in such uncertain times as these. Our organization would not be what it is without you. I hope you enjoy Issue 49 of the Berkeley Science Review!

Sincerely,

Katherine Flug
Editor-in-Chief